The present invention relates to campers and in particular to campers in which a tent, comprising a tent cover and frame, is mounted upon a truck bed, such as a pickup truck bed, to form a shelter or the like. More specifically, the invention relates to a means for attachment of such tents to a tailgate of such trucks by insertion of the tailgate into an envelope member associated with the tent covering.
Conventional campers are of numerous types. For example there are: the well known shell which rests upon rear sidewalls of a pickup truck; the hard-walled camper which fits within the bed of a pickup truck; and, flexible-walled camper systems which utilize a tent or tent-like covering mounted upon a frame attached to the truck. The present invention relates to a camper unit of the latter type.
Conventional flexible walled camper units generally comprise a frame portion and a tent covering portion. The frame portion generally corresponds to a conventional tent frame, with tent pole members attached to the truck and generally oriented over the pickup truck bed. The tent covering may be of canvas, nylon, or similar material, and generally is spread over the tent frame to enclose the camper and truck bed.
As indicated above, generally such conventional camper units are mounted in trucks such as pickup trucks, which have a rear tailgate member that can be lowered to a position flush with the bed of the truck. Thus, the tailgate may be used to effectively extend the length of the bed beyond a rear bumper portion of the truck.
With conventional tent camper arrangements, there have been some problems with accommodating the tailgate. In some arrangements, the tailgate cannot be enclosed within the tent camper, so the ability of the tailgate to extend the length of the bed to make for more room is not utilized. In arrangements where the tailgate is enclosed within the tent, a complex frame system may be required and/or special attachment means mounted on the tailgate may be necessary in order to provide for secure engagement between the tent covering and the tailgate. Such systems may be relatively expensive, difficult to assemble or disassemble, may require special modifications to the truck, truck frame or body, and may be unattractive.
Another problem with past systems has been the their general failure to provide an appropriate anchor point for securing the tent covering and frame. For a conventional tent mounted upon the ground, generally stakes and laterally extending lines, often referred to as guy-lines, are used to maintain tension on the frame of the tent, by placing tension on the tent covering or poles, to support the tent frame in an upright position and maintain same against strong winds or the like.
In conventional tent camper arrangements mounted upon truck beds, however, generally such guy-lines and stakes are undesired as they inhibit the ability to move the vehicle, even slightly, with the camper erected; and, further, they prevent the camper unit from being used over hard surfaces such as pavement, asphalt or firmly graded ground, where the driving of stakes would be difficult if not impossible. Generally, in the past, this has necessitated the development of complex frame systems, for use with such trucks, which are free standing in that they do not use guylines either attached directly to the frame or on the tent covering over the frame, for secure erection. Even conventional tent camper systems which have enclosed the tailgate therein, have generally failed to utilize the tailgate as a laterally extended anchor point serving as a substitute for a guy-line and stake.